Cricket Australia's rotation policy appears to have extended to its batting coach. Former one-day maestro Dean Jones will take over from Stuart Law for the first two matches of the ODI series against Sri Lanka. Law has advised CA he will not be putting his hat in the ring for the role of full-time batting coach and will return to his job as the high-performance coach at the Centre of Excellence in his home town of Brisbane. ''I thank Stuart for his outstanding contribution over the past six weeks - we are disappointed he is not in a position to consider the full-time role,'' coach Mickey Arthur said. Jones has been one of Australia's best one-day players and even wrote a book, titled One Day Magic, on the 50-over game in the early 1990s. The hierarchy believes his experience will help the young squad as they head towards the 2015 World Cup.

Death exaggerated

Rangana Herath's four-wicket haul in the first innings deserves extra credit considering the spinner's interrupted sleep on Friday night. Herath was woken at 2.30am by a concerned Tillakaratne Dilshan, who had heard rumours suggesting his teammate had died in a car accident. ''I said I am fine and then I was told about the rumour. I was told that Colombo was grieving my death,'' Herath told Sri Lankan newspaper The Island. ''I don't know from where this started, but it's disappointing. I was glad that my wife was with me. Otherwise she would have panicked. I immediately called my home and wife's home and said, 'Don't worry, nothing happened to me.''' Then there was the issue of fielding calls from other friends and relatives. ''There were several calls from thereon, I couldn't knock off the phone as people would have panicked had I done that,'' Herath said. ''So I answered every call that came to my mobile.''

Kiss of death

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Whoever wins next year's Australian Cricket Media Association's emerging player of the year award had better watch out. A day after collecting his gong, David Warner was dismissed first ball - his first duck after 26 Test innings. There was also woe for last year's winner James Pattinson, who was diagnosed with a season-ending foot injury the next day.

Bashed up

Cricket Australia's prediction that the new year would herald a rise in Big Bash League crowds has rung true, though they are still short of the standards set during the inaugural season. There has been an average of 15,714 fans for each of the five games so far this year (excluding Sunday night's derby in Melbourne), which represents an increase of about 4000 compared with crowds late last year. That mark is still below the average of 17,750 a game in the first Big Bash League. Interest in Hobart and Perth has remained high throughout BBL2 but there was a huge spike at the Gabba. The crowd of 24,570 who saw Brisbane defeat Shane Warne's Melbourne Stars last Thursday was only marginally lower than the combined attendances for the team's first two home games of the summer.

Thunder plunder

Death, taxes and Sydney Thunder losing. Any punter who believed they were the three certainties in life and adopted that philosophy during the Sydney Thunder's 12-game losing streak could have reaped a handsome dividend since the Thunder's run of outs started in late 2011. A $10 all-up bet with TAB Sportsbet on the Thunder's opposition at their opening price, starting with the Melbourne Renegades ($2.05) on December 30, 2011, would have returned $5530.20.

Binga comeback

Brett Lee will return to Lord's as Australia tours England this year. But the former Test speedster will be wearing the SCG XI's baggy black cap. Lee, fourth on Australia's Test wicket-takers' list, is in line to play the Marylebone Cricket Club at the home of cricket in late July.